Description: The Swiss MOWAG company designed and developed the Piranha amphibious multipurpose armored vehicle as a private venture. The Piranha vehicles feature high survivability, high mobility due to the use of wheels, low life cycle costs, high reliability, high availability, and easy maintenance. The Piranha III vehicle family introduced in the late 1990s offers a greater payload than preceding Piranha vehicles as well as improved protection through the use of add-on armor, high mobility and increased internal volume. The Piranha III are powered by a single MTU 6V 813 T22 diesel engine providing 400 hp, however other engines are available. They are able to accommodate a turret with a 105mm gun. The Piranha vehicles have been deployed in conflicts and peacekeeping operations. Several thousands of them are in service today with armed forces all over the world.

The Piranha 3 CBRN is a Chemical, Bacteriological, Radiological and Nuclear reconnaissance vehicle developed between General Dynamics European Land Systems and Thales based on the Piranha 3 6x6 armored vehicle. This high mobility and highly protected vehicle is equipped with navigation equipment to monitor large areas and mark contaminated zones. Its nuclear segment contains detection probes, and a particle monitor and a telescopic arm measure radiation on the ground. The double-wheel sampling system makes it possible for chemical ground contamination to be detected while on-the-move. Deeper chemical analysis with mass spectrometry and a gas chromatograph can be performed while driving through rough terrain. The Swiss Army has ordered a first batch of 12 Piranha 3 CBRN vehicles. The first vehicle was showcased at the Eurosatory 2012 exhibition in Paris, France.

This first-to-deploy CBRN recce vehicle also contains a biological aerosol detector and collector. The Piranha 3 user-friendly CBRN management software controls the sensors and supports operators during missions. In the sophisticated, protected backend all sorts of manual samples can be taken and transferred to a cooling compartment and handed over for further external analysis.